TAWA5 Best Outdoors Experience
Sometimes, we need to look up from that monitor and get ourselves some Vitamin D from the big solar dispenser. Here are some of our favourite outdoors places:
Walking along the waterfront
What could be better than a stroll along the waterfront? Not much! On a sunny day, it seems all of Wellington is walking/riding/running between Queen’s Wharf and Chaffers’ Marina. OK, let’s exaggerate slightly and declare that it’s like La Rambla, but without the tourists and the shops!
And on a miserable day, if you can brave the elements you’ll have the entire place to yourself…
Kreüzberg Summer Cafe/Grow From Here
Making good use of an old car dealer site on the corner of Cuba And Webb Streets, Kreüzberg Summer Cafe has recently been joined by urban plant shop Grow From Here and hidden around the corner is fashion and jewellery gallery Duel. The outdoor picnic table seating and lush surroundings make this a welcome oasis in the inner city.
Kreüzberg Summer Café / Grow From Here: Corner Cuba & Webb St
Shorland Park, Island Bay
This is one for those with kids: far away at the end of a ride on trolley Bus Route 1. Shorland Park is right beside the sea, where you could watch the boats bobbing in the bay; puddle around on the beach; or jump off that concrete wharf thing for a dip in the shallows. Afterwards, grab some fish and chips from one of the nearby takeaways, and when hunger is sated let the kids rampage around. Now that’s got to be good for everyone’s sanity!
Shorland Park: Reef St, Island Bay
Zealandia
OK, so some of us may have gotten snarky about their new(ish) name, but there’s no denying the impact the former Karori Wildlife Sanctuary is having on Wellington. You don’t have to visit to enjoy the Tuī now spreading east across town and into the Miramar Peninsular; or the Kākā wheeling above the West; or the Kārearea hunting the dawn chorus of the hill suburbs – little of this would be happening without Zealandia’s refuge and base for these birds. But no Wellingtonian should go without at least one visit – there’s so much more to see inside that predator-proof fence…
Zealandia: 31 Waiapu Rd
Biking at Makara Peak
Cycling around Wellington’s narrow roads can be a bit of a hair-raising experience (and let’s hope our new mayor can improve upon that for us) but off-road, there’s a huge array of tracks all around and through the green areas and reserves of Wellington. The best of these is the Makara Mountain Bike Park, way out the far end of Karori: 24 km of specially built single track ranging in required skill levels from beginner through to clinically insane. Now, if only there was a public transport option that could take us, and our bikes, out to the Park!
Makara Peak Mountain Bike Park: South Karori Road
I’ve been to Grow From Here a number of times – it’s really cool to sit at the cafe and plan window-boxes!